00:00It's such an interesting time to be a corporation with this ethos of concern about the world,
00:05about things like climate and racial inequality,
00:08in a world that feels increasingly divided, be it by social media, be it otherwise,
00:12and also, by the way, is increasingly deeply distrusting of corporate America.
00:17What does that mean for you to operate in such a divided climate?
00:21So, Danny, what a great question, by the way.
00:24I started this job about a year ago, and I've worked for Ben & Jerry's before.
00:27And one of the reasons why I love this job, because we are a values-based company.
00:33And if you're values-based and values-led and really articulated as well in our three-part mission,
00:39product, making it in the nicest possible way,
00:41a social mission which comes through the things we stand for and how we source,
00:47and then it all sits in a business model, and that model actually really, really works.
00:53And we're doing the job.
00:55And even when the times change, you know, what we are proving and showing again and again
01:00is that we can be out there and actually connect to communities, have a point of view,
01:04and it works for our business as well, because we grew in quarter to 9.2%,
01:08so the business works really well, and at the same time, we're out there to actually, you know,
01:13support democracy, you know, in the upbeat to the midterms.
01:16There are a lot of external pressures, and this government and this administration being one of them,
01:20a lot of companies quietly dismantled their ESG and DEI programs because of that pressure.
01:25Are you not facing some of the same constraints from governments, from otherwise?
01:29Because you're not only doing this, but you are quite loud about it as well.
01:32Danny, it's baked into our model.
01:34It's part of who we are.
01:36So we would change this now.
01:38That would be strange now.
01:40That would be, you know, a thing that people would say, like,
01:42I wouldn't recognize Ben and Jerry's.
01:44So we do, I think, we're out there.
01:46We have our opinions.
01:48We go out there and support.
01:50We work with partners.
01:51And we do the job as well in our value chain.
01:53So it's an integral part of our whole business model that doesn't change.
01:57So part of this ethos, again, is this idea you're approaching 50 years.
02:01You know, you come from this small background.
02:03But you're kind of, along with that, there has been this real intense pushback, shall we say,
02:08from the founders themselves, from Ben and Jerry's.
02:10Things like concern about dismantling the independent board.
02:14And I know there's some various things in there, for example,
02:17like concerns about toxic behavior that we could get into.
02:20But that maybe Unilever forced out your processor, for example.
02:25The response to claims, what do you respond to people that say,
02:28look, you're trying to, like, sanitize what was the core of Ben and Jerry's.
02:32And that's sort of amplified by what we're hearing from Ben and Jerry himself, for example.
02:36So now, first and foremost, I think you're really nice to highlight.
02:39We're going to be 50 years in 2028.
02:42So we've got 50 years of history of failures-led business.
02:46And it's always been, you know, with a little bit of a, you know, here and there discussion.
02:51And it's been challenging at times, which is part of who we are and how we do our things as
02:56well.
02:57You know, I'm not ignorant to a co-founder being out there.
03:01He's a great activist campaigner.
03:03You know, he's always done that.
03:05So he's been part of our history as well, trying to, you know, push us, raise the bar.
03:09And at the same time, we run this three-part mission business, very focused on output, very focused on the
03:15campaigns right now.
03:16So we've just launched the Flavor Raz Up, which is all about bringing people, you know, out to vote, the
03:22suppressed voters, the minority voters, the voters that are coming for the first time as well.
03:27That's our focus now for the midterms.
03:29Because if you vote, democracy works and it really unlocks community and people power as well.
03:34So that's our main focus in all of this.
03:37And for those who haven't been paying attention, and there has been quite a big news of it, the tension
03:40does seem to be activism around what's happening in Gaza.
03:43And I wonder how you think about the various topics that you choose, the issues that you choose to pursue,
03:48as you mentioned, climate and voter rights, when many of those people who care about that also care, for example,
03:53about what's happening in Gaza.
03:55How do you sort of delineate which causes that you will be going after and ones that aren't in focus
04:00for you?
04:00Well, if you're in the space and in the world of social justice and the work that we do as
04:06well, based on our values, you've got to be also out there to say, like, this is now the campaign
04:11we focus on.
04:11And the most relevant thing now for the second half of the year is people voting and getting out for
04:18the midterms.
04:18And that is our main focus.
04:20We've, you know, built the Flavor.
04:21We've built the campaign.
04:22Well, actually, we've just, as we call it, infested or donated about $3 million to people's action to help them
04:29as well to do community organizing and getting people to come out to vote as well.
04:33Yeah, it's an important message.
04:34Is it complicated?
04:35Is it made difficult by having the co-founder out there doing things like trying to campaign to buy back
04:40the company himself?
04:41You know, Ben is a great campaigner.
04:43Ben is an activist.
04:45He's the founder of the company.
04:47We are very focused on landing our three-part mission, focused on building what we would call our link prosperity
04:52model and doing our work out there.
04:55And I think there's a lot to do.
04:57So, hence, we're really focused on that.
04:59You mentioned strong sales in the second quarter.
05:01It also comes at a time where people are concerned about this consumer.
05:04You know, will I go to a grocery store and pick out Ben & Jerry's or, like, you know, white
05:08label product of whatever ice cream?
05:10What do you think it is that you're able to still get a consumer buying?
05:14Have you had to be creative, for example, in making sure that those sales are still there and the consumer
05:18shows up and buys your product?
05:20You know, we make, as I said, ice cream, the best product in the nicest possible way.
05:25And we've been doing that for 48 years, you know, rich chunks and swirls, choc chip, cookie dough, fudge brownie,
05:31you know, real all-time favorites.
05:33And they give you that affordable, indulgent treat.
05:36And I think that's what we do.
05:37And that works.
05:38And people are, you know, folding with their feet and buying it.
05:41How about this whole, like, pushback on, like, real food, if you will?
05:45Not to say that you don't have real food.
05:47But, like, concern about, like, additives and this kind of stuff.
05:50Like, ice cream seems to be one of those ones that does have a lot of additives because you need
05:53to transport it from a place, make sure it doesn't melt.
05:56Have you felt any pushback on the perimeter around that?
05:58No.
05:59We are a wholesome product, you know, we're full of good dairy, you know, caring dairy is the program that
06:05we use as well.
06:06We actually use fair trade sugar and cocoa as well.
06:08So, ingredients-wise, that is all packed into the pint.
06:12And what we're doing as well is to bring more of that now from, you know, taps and pints into
06:17handhelds.
06:18And we're bringing these, you know, classic favorites of choc chip, cookie dough, fudge brownie on a stick as well.
06:24And that is really working for us in the same way, with the same quality, the same attention to, you
06:29know, Fairly's Lead sourcing as well.
06:31And what's your favorite flavor?
06:32Peanut butter cup.
06:33Peanut butter cup.
06:33It's this great combination of sweet and salt.
06:35I one time worked in a brewery and they gave me a hat that said, never trust a skinny brewer.
06:39And I feel like you're way too in shape to have, like, be eating this ice cream all the time.
06:43Well, I eat ice cream every day, but I do this, you know, with a little bit of here and
06:47there, scoop here, and then it goes back into the freeze.
06:49I'll probably eat a pint in four.
